Geese, geese, geese

I have been drawn back to Nordre Øyeren daily now in the hope of uncovering something rare. The numbers of geese are just enormous and you can see them either feeding on stubble fields or resting on the water at Svellet. There are at least 2000 each of Barnacles and Greylags but probably a lot more as well as 400 Canadas. Finding something scarcer amongst all these has proved tough going but I have now found a single White-fronted Goose, single Bar-headed, single Pink-footed and 3 Greylag x Canada hybrids. I have only found one bird with with a collar - a Greylag ringed in Germany in 2021 and since either close to Oslo or in Germany.

I have spent too long looking at the Canadas and have got a headache at the amount on variability amongst them with some birds definitely looking «wilder» than others but all probably within the variation of size and plumage of a feral population that probably has little genetic diversity.

 

White-fronted Goose (tundragås)

Bar-headed Goose (stripegås)

neck collared Greylag (grågås) D780 and its history below

this Canada looked very interesting from afar 

but closer up I wasn't s sure

and this one while not being so dark also looked quite different

enormous numbers

Water levels have risen a lot due to heavy rain and there is no longer mud in Svellet so waders and dabbling ducks have vanished but there are now 4 Little Gulls and also 4 «commic» Terns (I remember as a child hearing the term Commic Tern and not being able to find it in my bird book. It caused me lots of confusion for a long time until I finally plucked up the courage to ask an older birder what it was and found out it was from COMMon and ArctIC and referred to unidentified birds of the species pair. I also remember very soon after calling out “Commic Tern” and it being a white dove….). I initially thought there were 2 Common and 2 Arctic but with better views have now come to the conclusion that there are at least 3 Common and the fourth bird is also most likely a Common. It has been quite a learning experience where I relied too much on jizz and behaviour to start with.

a commic tern and 2 Little Gulls (dvergmåke)

3 f the 4 Little Gulls. All were 1cy

this 1cy tern with grey secondaries must be a Common (makrellterne)

I have had 10 species of raptor which is a good showing and my first Great Grey Shrike of the autumn.

my first Great Gre Shrike (varlser) of the autumn which I saw eating a mouse

a very distant, but very smart, male Hen Harrier (myrhauk)

Peregrine (vandrefalk) and a pale Common Buzzard (musvåk)

this immature White-tailed Eagle (havørn) flew over Svellet

and a bit later I found it on a field that had previously been covered in geese with just a few crows for company

Merlin (dvergalk)

I have also had a couple of attempts to locate the Taiga Beans but have failed. I assume they are still around as it would be record early if they have already left and I remember that in previous years the GPS tagged bird(s) have shown they have often used one particular field that is very well hidden and that I have never tried to get to as I am certain it will just result in flushing the birds – they may well be using it again.

 

I have only had a couple of quick visits to Maridalen but a perched and then hunting White-tailed Eagle was a very good sighting.

the Crane (trane) family is still feeding in Maridalen

it is very unusual to find a perched White-tailed Eagle in the Dale

Maridalen terns

Maridalsvannet is not a classic locality for terns. The water is very deep and there is little vegetation along the sides or shallow bays. When water levels are low though and there are hatches of insects then it can attract a few terns to feed. These are normally Common Terns that are presumably visiting from their nesting colonies on the fjord although the length of time that birds visit suggests they are perhaps non breeders as it is quite the journey back to the fjord if you have a nest there.

Arctic Terns have proven to be more regular than previously realised or else they have become more regular and are now an expected annual guest with the timing making it sometimes difficult to know whether they are late spring migrants or early autumn migrants. Two records of Black Tern and of course the Gull-billed Tern on 10 June 2023 show that there is always potential for something rarer and more exciting.

This week has seen a hatch of insects and there have been lots of Common and Black-headed Gulls hawking insects and with them upto 8!! Arctic Terns and 4 Common Terns. We have had quite a few rain showers and one of these at least caused an arrival of Arctics (they increased from 5 to 8). With records of a Gull-billed and a number of Sandwich Terns to the south and a White-winged Black to the north I have of course been hoping to find something rarer myself and have also expected Little Gulls to turn up. They haven’t unfortunately but it has been fun observing all the different birds and it is always a challenge identifying Common and Arctic Tern. Anyone who says it is easy is either really good or lying. One of the Arctic’s has been present every day and is readily identifiable due to is missing one of its outer tail feathers and also showing signs of immaturity that have led me to age it is a 2^nd summer / 3^rd cy.

the 3cy Arctic Tern (rødnebbtern). All black bill, incomplete black hood and dark feathering on front of wing are all signs of immaturity

here you can also see it is missing (or maybe it hasn't grown out yet) its left outer tail feather

an adult Arctic

adult Arctic

and here an adult Common (makrellterne) and adult Arctic with a Black-headed Gull (hettemåke). In this grainy picture you can still see that the black line on the undersde of the primaries is narrower and more defined on the Arctic which is also a slight smaller bird

adult Common Tern here with the black tip to the bill also visible

all the terns were nearly always in flight but here the 3cy Arctic perched on a rock

same bird

same bird 

adult Arctic

Adult Arctic in fron of a ski jump - one of my signature shots ;-)

adult Arctic swooping for food

it is difficult to see what it caught - either a small fish or a large insect

the 3cy Arctic

adult Arctic

adult Common

Adult Common

adult Common

adult Common

adult Common

here catching a small fish

Wader desperation

This week I have twice boarded the ferry to visit my two ladies of the Isles and both times it is Fru. Galteskjær that has delivered but the wares she puts on show are very meager. On Tuesday it was a single Oystercatcher... and on Wednesday a Redshank, 2 Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper.

In desperation today I abandoned Oslo and went to Årnestangen in the rain. There was more to see but it was hardly a succesful visit and there was such a turn around of birds that virtually every wader I saw either came or went in the time I was there. Checklist is here.

 

the view at Årnestangen this morning. Some nice areas with shallow water and mud/sand but disappointingly few birds

a Redshank on Fru. Galteskjær was my Oslo wader highlight this week

showing the luck involved in wader watching in Oslo the Redshank flew off soon after I found it and was joined by two Ringed Plovers (sandlo) that I had not previously seen

a pair of Common Terns (makrellterne) seem to be the only terns left in the Inner Oslofjord and this summer has I think been dire for breeding

this young bird at Maridalsvannet may well have hatched further inland at one of the few inland breeding sites